1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to cashboxes and, more particularly, to a cashbox for a tablet computer. As used herein, the term “tablet” includes any mobile electronic computing device with a touch-sensitive screen, such as an IPAD™ or any version of an IPAD™ or similar product produced by any manufacturer.
Cashboxes are well known devices used at point of sale terminals to store currency bills and coinage. They include small and portable cashboxes as well as larger, less portable types of devices.
There is a growing need for a portable type of a cashbox that can be used with an IPAD™ or other portable computer tablet. These types of devices are ever more commonly being used at point-of-sale (POS) retail locations.
The locations may include businesses with a fixed storefront or mobile businesses, such as a farmer's market and many others, as well. Most types of retail businesses generally receive a mixture of cash, debit cards, and credit cards.
When the seller must process either a debit or credit card, some means of electronically clearing the funds at the point-of-sale (POS) location is typically required. A card swiping device, also sometimes referred to as a “cube” is available for plug-in use with an IPAD™ or with certain other electronic tablets. Accordingly, the IPAD™ or electronic tablet must include some means of accessing the Internet. Typically, the means will be wireless, such as via WI-FI™, linkage to a cell phone tower, or by any other means. For fixed location storefronts, Internet access could be detachably hardwired to the IPAD™ or electronic tablet, for example, to a USB™ port. It is important to preserve portability of the cashbox and IPAD™ or electronic tablet even at fixed location storefronts. This is because it is desirable to be able to quickly and easily move the IPAD™ or electronic tablet and cashbox, together as an assembly, for safe storage and possible assorting of cash and other receipts.
Whenever these, or other types of businesses, must deal with cash and debit cards and/or credit cards, a means for storing cash and processing the debit or credit card transactions is necessary.
Many merchants with a fixed storefront would also prefer to eliminate a bulky cash register or a larger type of cashbox, preferring to use any space that can be saved for the display of additional goods for sale.
Even though cashboxes and IPAD™ types of computer tablets are well known and presently address certain aspects of these needs, there are significant deficits with the currently available solutions.
For example, when a credit card is processed using an IPAD™, the purchaser must typically “sign” an authorization field that is shown on a touch screen of an IPAD™ using a non-writing type of pen. If the IPAD™ is supported or attached to a prior art type of cashbox, this involves turning the prior art cashbox around 180 degrees so that the purchaser can sign the screen. Similarly, if a debit card is used a numeric field is presented for the purchaser to enter a PIN number. This, again, requires rotating the prior art cashbox and IPAD™ 180 degrees toward the purchaser.
Either way, the cashbox is turned around to face the purchaser. This may present cash or other receipts that are in the cashbox in front of the purchaser, which is undesirable. There arises a risk of providing confidential information about earlier transactions to others and even inviting theft, should the retailer become distracted.
Accordingly, there is a need to allow purchasers to provide a signature authorizing a credit card transaction or enter a PIN on an IPAD™ or other type of tablet that does not require a 180 degree turning of a cashbox to which the IPAD™ or tablet is attached.
Also, with prior art types of cashboxes that are intended to cooperate with an IPAD™ or other type of tablet, there is a need to quickly provide some sort of a covering that hides cash and coinage from public view. Ideally, the normal state of cash and coinage would be not visible. Such a covering, ideally, would not affect positioning, access, or usage of the IPAD™ or tablet.
Additionally, there is a need to secure an IPAD or other tablet to a cashbox in a way that prevents unauthorized removal of the IPAD™ or tablet from the cashbox. This is a problem with prior art designs that do not secure the IPAD™ or other type of tablet sufficiently well to the cashbox. As a result, should the merchant become distracted, especially during crowded conditions, the IPAD™ or tablet can easily be stolen from prior art types of cashboxes.
There is also a need to minimize the size of the cashbox. This is difficult to accomplish because several storage compartments for various different denominations of currency (i.e., bills) are needed, as well as for coinage. Prior art attempts to minimize compartment size for a cashbox has resulted in difficulty in removing bills from the cashbox, as is necessary when making change.
Additionally, prior art devices do not surround the back and four sides of an IPAD™ or other tablet and still allow access to a port on the IPAD™ or other tablet which permits connection of the card swiping device. This is because the surrounding sides would prevent insertion of the card swiping device into the appropriate port.
Ideally, it is desirable to surround an IPAD™ or other tablet on a back and all four sides to better secure the IPAD™ or other tablet to a small, portable cashbox and to also permit easy connection of a card swiping device, as well. Such connection could be used to better secure the IPAD™ or other tablet to the cashbox, thereby further deterring theft or accidental discharge from the cashbox.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a cashbox for use with a computer tablet that helps to ameliorate the above-mentioned problems and difficulties as well as ameliorate those additional problems and difficulties as may be recited in the “OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION” or discussed elsewhere in the specification or which may otherwise exist or occur and that are not specifically mentioned herein.
As various embodiments of the instant invention help provide a more elegant solution to the various problems and difficulties as mentioned herein, or which may otherwise exist or occur and are not specifically mentioned herein, and by a showing that a similar benefit is not available by mere reliance upon the teachings of relevant prior art, the instant invention attests to its novelty. Therefore, by helping to provide a more elegant solution to various needs, some of which may be long-standing in nature, the instant invention further attests that the elements thereof, in combination as claimed, cannot be obvious in light of the teachings of the prior art to a person of ordinary skill and creativity.
Clearly, such an apparatus would be useful and desirable.
2. Description of Prior Art
Cashboxes are, in general, known. For example, the following patent documents describe various types of these devices, some of which may have some degree of relevance to the invention. Other patent documents listed below may not have any significant relevance to the invention. The inclusion of these patent documents is not an admission that their teachings anticipate any aspect of the invention. Rather, their inclusion is intended to present a broad and diversified understanding regarding the current state of the art appertaining to either the field of the invention or possibly to other related or even distal fields of invention.    U.S. Pat. No. 8,235,287 to McKelvey, that issued on Aug. 7, 2012;    U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,946 to Cheng, that issued on Oct. 28, 2003;    U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,826 to Xavier, that issued on Jul. 29, 2003;    U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,415 to Kono, et al., that issued on Jan. 20, 1998;    U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,286 to Murakoshi, et al., that issued on May 28, 1996;    U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,765 to Gomi, et al., that issued on Oct. 22, 1991;    U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,728 to Lueken, that issued on Feb. 7, 1989;    U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,034 to Ezaki, et al., that issued on Jul. 21, 1981;    U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,981 to Williams, that issued on May 23, 1950;    U.S. Pat. No. 1,901,533 to Preddey, that issued on Mar. 14, 1933; and    U.S. Pat. No. 1,857,305 to Holliday, that issued on May 10, 1932.
And including U.S. Patent Application Publication:    U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0180804 to Czarnecki, et al. that published on Jul. 22, 2010.
And including U.S. Design Patent:    U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 406,270 to Postrel, et al., that issued on Mar. 2, 1999.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices may, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.